12 Ways to Support Your Immune System

It is that time of the year again. It is after the holidays and all the extra eating. Our immune systems have taken a battering with all the extra sugar. Stress, (either physical or emotional), sugar, alcohol, toxins, poor diet, and lack of rest all contribute to weakening the immune system. The holiday season is full of these. Remember – consuming white sugar immobilizes your immunity for up to 3 hours. So, the logical consequence of this merrymaking is that we catch whatever is going around; either a cold or the flu.

Our immune systems have no single central location in the body and no chief organ. Instead, it is a cooperative system of biochemicals and white blood cells (leukocytes), tissues and organs which are distributed throughout the body in various locations. Constantly challenged, these cells work together, detecting any foreign substance in the body, defending and abolishing what does not belong.

To keep our immune system strong, we need a diet rich in yellow and green leafy vegetables, high antioxidant nutrients like onions and garlic, citrus fruits, whole grains, legumes, sesame seeds, nuts, low fat protein, pure water, occasional detoxification, exercise, adequate rest, meditation, gratitude, and nutritional supplements. Supplements are essential for the immune system.

Following are the supplements that I have found to work in building my immune system:

Soy protein provides the essential building block for all cells including our immune cells. The amino acids are the ‘bricks’ needed to build/repair all body parts. It is an essential raw material for the antibodies in our immune system. It also alkalizes the body.

A good multivitamin and multimineral, that contains zinc, (crucial to the bacteria-killing activity of B and T cells, important to stop the shrinkage of the thymus gland), copper (needed by thymus gland to produce its hormones) and iron (needed by T cells). It will also contain the main vitamins like B, C, D, E, etc. listed below.

Vitamin D3 boosts general resistance to disease, improves production of antibodies, and increases the effectiveness of macrophages.

B Vitamins especially B6 support healthy mucous membranes (first line of defence) and helps with the production of antibodies.

Vitamin E with selenium boosts general resistance to disease, protects against free radical damage, increases production of B cells, improves production of antibodies, enhances cooperation between T helper cells and B cells, and increases the effectiveness of macrophages.

Carotenes are crucial for the integrity of skin (first line of defence), protecting mucous membranes, tears, sweat, saliva, stimulating immune function, supporting the thymus and protecting against free radicals.

Essential fatty acids help nerves, brain and communication chemicals needed for the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

Bifidus and acidophilus (the friendly bacteria) help boost the whole system as 70-80% of our immunity is in the Peyer’s Patches in the intestines. The caplet needs to be triple encapsulated to protect these essential bacteria from the acidity of the stomach.

Alfalfa absorbs contamination, alkalinizes the bloodstream, and fights viruses and bacteria. I take 30 when I feel any symptoms coming on.

Three of my favourite immune products are:

NutriFeron that was developed and extensively tested by immunologists in Japan, and clinically proven to support and stimulate the natural immune response process at the cellular level. It supports and stimulates the immune system, by increasing the activity of macrophages and inducing natural interferon production. It optimizes immune response against environmental irritants and airborne substances (as with allergies and asthma). I take this one daily for prevention.

Defend & Resist Complex activates the immune system, promotes the production of white blood cells, enhances resistance to infection, viral and bacterial, especially flu and herpes, and reduces mucus. It provides four clinically proven immune-supporting ingredients including echinacea and zinc. It works best when started at the onset of cold or flu symptoms when you feel that first tickle.

Vitalized Immunity contains as much Vitamin C as 16 oranges. It is a delicious effervescent drink for an occasional boost when your immune system needs fast support. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine, helps iron be absorbed, helps form red blood cells, fights bacterial infection, helps macrophages, can increase production of interferon, increases the power of macrophages, protects against free radicals and has an anti-stress function.

So, if you need any help with your immunity, please feel free to reach out.

To your good health!
Charlene

The Greatest Showman – My Thoughts

I went to see The Greatest Showman last week. It was a musical inspired by the story of P.T. Barnum’s creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. The movie and the music were very inspiring and the movie touched on two elements I wanted to expand on.

The first one is imagination. We live in a society that does not support our imagination enough. It starts in schools where we have to abide by the rules and imagination is frowned upon. “Stop daydreaming” is a warning many of us heard while in school. It continues into adulthood where people will often scorn “silly” ideas.

What I loved is that P.T. Barnum’s imagination was present and thriving and brought to life in this movie. The musical scores also brought it to life as well. In the lyrics of  “A Million Dreams”, imagination is key.

“They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy
They can say, they can say I’ve lost my mind
I don’t care, I don’t care, so call me crazy
We can live in a world that we design

‘Cause every night I lie in bed
The brightest colours fill my head
A million dreams are keeping me awake
I think of what the world could be
A vision of the one I see
A million dreams is all it’s gonna take
A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.”

Also with the song  “The Greatest Show”.

“And all that was real is left behind

Don’t fight it, it’s coming for you, running at ya
It’s only this moment, don’t care what comes after
Your fever dream, can’t you see it getting closer
Just surrender ’cause you feel  the feeling taking over
It’s fire, it’s freedom, it’s flooding open
Watching it come true, it’s taking over you
Just surrender ’cause you’re calling and you wanna go

Impossible comes true, intoxicating you
Watching it come true, it’s taking over you
It’s everything you ever want
It’s everything you ever need
And it’s here right in front of you
This is where you wanna be.”

Both the movie and the character of P.T. Barnum invite you to explore your imagination. In the song “The Other Side” P.T. Barnum invites his future partner Phillip to leave the conventional world and join him.

So come with me and take the ride

It’ll take you to the other side

‘Cause you can do like you do

Or you can do like me

Stay in the cage, or you’ll finally take the key

Oh, damn! Suddenly you’re free to fly

It’ll take you there to the other side.

So like P.T. Barnum, I invite you to let go of the constraints and let your imagination fly this year.

The other element I want to touch on is being yourself. That was really clear in the song “This Is Me”.

“I’m not a stranger to the dark
“Hide away, ” they say
“‘Cause we don’t want your broken parts”
I’ve learned to be ashamed of all my scars
“Run away, ” they say
“No one will love you as you are”

But I won’t let them break me down to dust
I know that there’s a place for us
For we are glorious

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I’m meant to be, this is me
Look out ’cause here I come
And I’m marching on to the beat I drum
I’m not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me”.

As P. T. Barnum said in his book, The Art of Money Getting: Golden Rules for Making Money,  “We are all, no doubt, born for a wise purpose. ”  (Contact me if you would like a copy)

So in 2018 go out and be yourself, be unique and let your imagination fly to create your desired world.

Here’s to your success.

Charlene

15 Ways To Visualize Your Future With A Vision Board

We are still at the beginning of a new year. The new year means new beginnings. It is like a blank slate. Have you set your tone for this new year? Do you feel good about what you accomplished last year? What do you want to change?

In the last blog, I talked about Vision Boards. They can be the visual aspect of what you are planning for this year. You get to create as if you are starting all over again. If there was anything you were not happy with last year, now is the time to change it.

So what is your vision for this year? What do you want to accomplish? What are you passionate about? What are your health goals? What are your fitness goals? What are your relationship goals? Your family goals? What are your career goals? What are your financial goals for this year? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to go with? Do you want to grow in any particular area of your life? Do you want to take courses/workshops? Do you want to join any social groups?

You could make a Vision Board about your vision for this year.

Here are few ways to check to make sure your Vision Board is going to manifest your desires.

1. The images on your board symbolize the experiences you want to feel.
2. You have used positive affirmations, inspirational words and thoughts on your board.
3. Your vision board is visually appealing to the eye.
4. Your vision board is where you can see it daily.
5. You spend time at least twice a day visualizing, affirming, and internalizing your goals.
6. You verbalize the affirmations and inspirational words out loud.
7. When you look at your Vision Board you feel gratitude for all you have manifested.
8. You see yourself living the life you have depicted on your Vision Board.
9. Using all your senses, you see and feel yourself in your future vision.
10. You believe the items on your board have already manifested.
11. You celebrate the good that you already possess.
12. You acknowledge and learn from any challenges you have experienced.
13. 13. You acknowledge the Law of Attraction that is at work for you.
14. You welcome the Law of Vibration and feel it working in your life.
15. You are feeling the fun and excitement of it all.

If you would like guidance around your vision for this year and some like-minded people around as you make your vision board, let me know as I have some dates set aside to do exactly that.

To your future purpose driven vision,

Charlene

Purpose Driven Vision Boards

Many years ago I was introduced to vision boards. A vision board is any sort of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do or have in your life. Some people call them dream boards. The person leading the group asked us to find images that would describe our ideal business. Then we cut and pasted the images that we had chosen out of magazines onto a piece of Bristol board. The vision board we each made was supposed to help us clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on, in this case, our business. It was to represent our vision of the future and act as a visualization tool. It was supposed to prompt us to visualize our ideal life on a regular basis.

The challenge I had was, that this activity was done in a couple of hours and I felt rushed and I felt incomplete. There was no inner reflection time to get clear on what I really wanted. So I just grabbed images that I thought would work but was unhappy with my rushed finished product. As a result, I put the vision board away in a closet and didn’t look at it again until I moved house. It really was not a vision board for me.

Then due to my coaching business, I came across vision boards again but this time really looked into how to do one that would actually work. I took the time to really go into my thoughts, dreams, aspirations and then created a vision board that actually worked. I manifested what was on my board this time. In the case of Hawaii (which was on my board), I even manifested an all expense paid trip.

So what was the difference? The first vision board did not have a real intention behind it. I also put it away and did not see it daily as a reminder of what I wanted to manifest.

When I made the second vision board I had an intention and a purpose for making it. I took time to do some inner exercises so that I was really clear on what I wanted. I created a calm space and had some music playing in the background as I searched for my images in a relaxed mode. Another aspect of making a purpose driven vision board is that I was aligned through my heart with what was on the board. I was emotionally connected to what I put on that board. I even added emotional words to my board. I laid everything out before gluing and then rearranged until it felt right.

After I had finished the board I had the board in front of me daily and I was able to affirm the desires on the board. What we focus on expands so I made a point to visualize daily and sometimes twice a day. This helped me to be a vibrational match to what was on my board and activate the Law of Attraction.

I took appropriate action towards manifesting what was on my board.  I also became aware of some resistance in the form of old belief systems. Old stories and thoughts reared their head and I had to strengthen my resolve to stay focused on what was on my vision board. I had to bring myself back to the vibration that was present when I made the board. My future purpose driven vision. I made the decision to take responsibility for my life, and instead of just letting life happen to me, I stayed focused on my vision and how I wanted to feel.

The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” certainly holds true here. The purpose of your vision board is to bring everything on it to life. First, think about what your goals are in the following areas: relationships, career and finances, home, travel, personal growth (including spirituality, social life, education) and health. Decide on what area you want to do a vision board and then set the time aside to do it.

If you would like guidance around your purpose and some like-minded people around as you make your vision board, let me know as I have some dates set aside to do exactly that.

To your future purpose driven vision,

Charlene

Daily Reflections To Make 2018 Your Greatest Year

2018 is a blank canvas. Now we can CREATE with fresh minds and open hearts to pursue our passions and dreams. It’s always exciting to be able to start fresh and recommit to our dreams. Here are 10 growth ideas that can be daily reflections that will help you make 2018 a year to remember.

The Laws of Lifetime Growth

1. Always make your future bigger than your past.
2. Always make your learning greater than your experience.
3. Always make your contribution bigger than your reward.
4. Always make your performance greater than your applause
5. Always make your gratitude greater than your success.
6. Always make your enjoyment greater than your effort.
7. Always make your cooperation greater than your status.
8. Always make your confidence greater than your comfort.
9. Always make your purpose greater than your money.
10. Always make your questions bigger than your answers.

Besides these laws, I am offering a process to support you in creating an amazing 2018.

Do you know what a Vision Board is?

It’s a way to manifest your dream life. When you make a Vision Board, you get clear on what you want to create in your life.

Once you get clarity, you select images and words from magazines and paste them on a big poster board. Seeing this board each day aligns your brain with the outcomes you most want to attract. (Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Katy Perry all swear by Vision Boards).

It sounds pretty simple. (And yes, there is a process to make your Vision Board more powerful.)

So why doesn’t everyone create Vision Boards?  Well in my experience as a coach, most of us never make the time to go inside to do it. We let our busy, distracted lives keep us, well, busy and distracted. 

It is time to change that.

On Jan 13/18 I am hosting the first ever CREATE YOUR LIFE VISION BOARD WORKSHOP.  It’s a full day immersion for you to focus on your authentic life, core clarity and ideal outcomes.

Due to the deep nature of the work, I have only made 10 spaces available. Contact me if you want to participate.

Here’s to creating an intention for 2018 to be your best year yet.

Charlene

Laughter Yoga at The “Inner” Centre

After a great weekend training, I am now a Certified Laughter Yoga  Leader.  What is Laughter Yoga, you ask?

Laughter Yoga is a unique model where participants can laugh for no reason without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. People come together in a group and experience Laughter Yoga exercises interspersed with breathing and stretching exercises. There is also Laughter Yoga meditation and grounding techniques.

Laughter Yoga was developed by a medical doctor in Mumbai, India, Dr. Madan Kataria. He was researching the benefits of laughter and decided to field-test his findings. In 1995 he gathered a few people together and started a laughter club. Through trial and error, it grew and developed into what is now called Laughter Yoga. Today Laughter Yoga is a worldwide phenomenon with thousands of clubs.

Dr Kataria and his wife saw the similarities between laughter and Pranayama exercises.  Pranayama means control of breath. “Prana” is breath or vital energy in the body. On subtle levels, prana represents the energy responsible for life or life force, and “ayama” means control. So Pranayama is “control of breath”.  So combining laughter with this yoga breathing, it brings more oxygen to the body and the brain. This helps us feel more energetic and healthy.

People come together in groups to do Laughter Yoga and together with eye contact and childlike playfulness start to experience real and contagious laughter. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter.  People get the same physiological and psychological benefits with both.

In order to get the scientifically proven health benefits of laughter, we need to laugh continuously for at least 10 to 15 minutes.  Since the laughter is an exercise, we can prolong our laughter for as long as we want.  So a typical Laughter Yoga session would involve several types of exercises and go anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the group.

The Laughter Yoga sessions are held in safe environments where one can laugh loudly and heartily. Because to reap the health benefits of laughter, it has to be loud and deep coming from the diaphragm; a deep belly laugh.  Besides the belly laughter exercises, we clap, stimulating acupressure points in the hands, we deep breath to help flush the lungs and bring about relaxation and we play. The objective of Laughter Yoga is to cultivate childlike playfulness that helps us laugh without any reason, increases our energy levels and builds enthusiasm.

Marjorie Moulin was our instructor this weekend and a good time was had by all. She is a transformational coach and led us through all the exercises and kept us laughing throughout the whole weekend. The training was held at The “Inner” Centre, a seminar room in North York that became our safe environment. The room was very versatile and the kitchen was a great place to exchange ideas and share food.

For more information on either Laughter Yoga sessions or renting The “Inner”  Centre, please contact me. I’m very excited to add this new modality to my repertoire.

To your good health and laughter!

Charlene

Health Stats That Might Make You Pause and Think

What do you think is the number two health stats cause of death each year?

According to the National Institutes of Health, obesity, and overweight together are the second leading cause of preventable death, close behind tobacco use.

So our calorie-rich food has become an insidious instrument of death. We are literally digging our grave with what we put into our mouth. Obesity caused by a bad diet and lack of exercise kills some 400,000 people in this country every single year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only smoking-related diseases account for more deaths with a total of 435, 000 annually.

Think about it, while our ancestors battled disease, famine, and starvation, we are killing ourselves with excess. On top of that, we no longer get exercised by having to out and gather or chase down our food. Instead, we are sitting hunched over a computer, a tablet or a mobile phone every day.

A recent article in The New York Times cited several studies showing that sitting for extended periods of time at a desk, in front of a T.V. etc. leads to weight gain and increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and a variety of cancers and early death. The body literally shuts down following prolonged periods of sitting causing a metabolic disaster of such proportions that even getting a full hour of exercise each day can’t offset the impact. Yikes.

We have a serious health care problem right now and most of it is self-inflicted. We aren’t taking proper care of our own health.  It is time to wake up and start questioning the status quo.

Many foods have become highly addictive and can create a super-normal stimulation to our brain. We also can get sucked into the pleasure trap. There are many layers to uncover in our patterns of eating. The bottom line is that our survival instinct kicks in and our primitive brain wants those calorie-rich foods in order to survive. So ask yourself, are you eating consciously or unconsciously?

You are the only one responsible for what you put into your mouth and how often you move your body. Think of your body as a mass of energy. Energy is your life force and vitality.  What you eat or drink either feeds and strengthens your energy or reduces and represses that energy. How you move and rest either circulates and replenishes that energy or depresses and decreases it. Become conscious of what you eat, what you read, what you watch, who you spend time with, and how you move your body.

Think for a moment and decide on even one adjustment you can make, to live a healthier lifestyle starting today. If you are stuck in any area, please reach out for help.

To your good health.

Charlene